BBVA Now Arranges 58% of New SME Loans Digitally
Digital financing is gaining ground among small businesses and the self-employed. At the end of May 2026, 58% of new lending transactions arranged with SMEs across the BBVA Group were completed through digital channels, rising to 67% in the case of the self-employed. Between January and May, the volume of financing arranged digitally came to almost €10 billion. The bank now has more than 2.8 million digital SME and self-employed customers in the countries where it operates.
“Digitalization is transforming how businesses and the self-employed engage with their bank. From arranging financing to day-to-day management of collections, payments and financial products, more and more customers are choosing digital channels that allow them to carry out transactions more quickly, easily and flexibly,” says David Puente, global head of Retail Client Solutions.
This trend is also reflected in the growth of the digital customer base. BBVA currently has more than 2.8 million digital SME and self-employed customers in the countries where it operates, 6% more than a year earlier. Overall, 84% of SME and self-employed customers who regularly work with BBVA now use digital channels as a matter of course. Adoption exceeds 90% in several of the Group’s markets, led by Argentina, where it stands at 96%, followed by Spain, at 92%. Türkiye stands at 87%, while Mexico is at 79%. These figures reflect the progress of business digitalization in the different countries where BBVA is present.
In financing, between January and May 2026, BBVA channeled nearly €10 billion in digital financing to SMEs and the self-employed. Last year, the volume financed through this channel reached around €21 billion.
Instant financing and paperless processes
BBVA’s digital financing experience is defined by speed and simplicity. Digital transactions can be completed almost in real time, with funds made available to customers immediately once the contracting process has been completed.
“Digitalization is not an end in itself, but a way to give businesses faster and easier access to financing when they need it. Today, many transactions can be completed immediately and without physical documentation, significantly improving the customer experience,” says David Puente.
BBVA’s digital offering now covers a wide range of business needs, from solutions for managing working capital and short-term liquidity, such as advances on sales made through POS terminals or credit lines, to term loans to finance investment projects. It also serves customers with very different profiles, from self-employed customers accessing financing for the first time to larger SMEs that manage higher-value credit transactions digitally.
The self-employed lead the way in digital adoption
The self-employed are the segment with the highest level of digital financing adoption. At the end of May 2026, 67% of new lending transactions completed by these customers were arranged through digital channels, nine percentage points above the figure for SMEs as a whole.
This higher take-up reflects the evolution of digital channels and the range of services available to this segment. The self-employed can now carry out more and more procedures via the website or mobile app, from taking out financial products to managing POS terminals, opening new accounts or tracking their transactions. The ability to access these services easily and from anywhere has driven the increasingly widespread use of digital channels.